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How do you make old towels soft again?

Author

Sarah Smith

Published Jan 06, 2026

Add Baking Soda

Mix half a cup of baking soda along with a normal detergent dose for fluffier and cleaner towels. Baking soda also naturally eliminates musty and mildew smells that come from towels remaining damp for too long.

How do you bring old towels back to life?

Bleaching white towels is the best way to restore their pure, bright, white color! We recommend using non-chlorine bleach, only, to extend the life of your towels. After a number of washes, towels can begin to smell musty. Refresh your towels by washing them with vinegar and baking soda!

Why are my towels hard after washing?

Towels are hard after washing because they build up soapy residue and are over-dried. Here's the good news: With a few simple tricks, you can restore your towels to their original softness and help ensure that they never go scratchy again. Use warm water.

How do you make stiff towels fluffy again?

How do you soften towels after line drying? To soften towels after line drying, put them into the dryer briefly. 'We suggest tossing them in the dryer for a quick “no-heat” fluff if they feel a little stiff,' says Bonnie Fisher.

How do I soften my towels without a dryer?

How to soften towels without a tumble dryer

  1. Use a vinegar rinse. ...
  2. Avoid drying towels directly on the radiator. ...
  3. Use an Ecoegg to wash your towels. ...
  4. Don't use too much laundry detergent. ...
  5. Avoid fabric conditioner. ...
  6. Give them a shake. ...
  7. Line dry them in the breeze. ...
  8. Wash at lower temps.
23 related questions found

Why do towels go hard when dried outside?

(Inside Science) -- The stiff, crunchy feel of an air-dried cotton towel is caused by a small amount of residual water “gluing” the fibers together, new research shows. Even in the driest climates, cotton naturally retains water because its main component -- cellulose -- attracts water molecules.

How do you wash towels so they stay soft?

To create a softer texture and get rid of the sour odor that comes from leaving wet towels in the laundry, Rapinchuk runs a wash cycle with a half-cup of baking soda either alone or mixed with detergent before drying (if running alone, launder as normal after).

How do you soften towels with vinegar and baking soda?

Washing towels with vinegar and baking soda can bring them back to life in just three steps:

  1. Wash towels in hot water and one cup vinegar. ...
  2. Wash the towels a second time (without drying them) in hot water and one cup baking soda.
  3. Dry your towels but avoid fabric softener, which builds up on towels and reduces softness.

How do you use vinegar to strip towels?

HOW TO STRIP YOUR TOWELS

  1. Wash your towels in hot water and 1 cup of white vinegar.
  2. Run the towels for a second time with 3/4 cup baking soda and hot water.
  3. Dry your towels on HOT until completely dry.

How do you soften towels with baking soda?

Baking soda is another naturally effective way to soften your bath towels. Just add 1/2 cup of baking soda along with your normal amount of detergent in the wash. Like vinegar, baking soda will also help remove build up from your towels, making your towels softer.

Why are my towels so rough?

Every towel will eventually become stiff and scratchy if body soil, body oils, detergents, chemicals, and minerals from hard water are left in the fibers after washing.

Can vinegar damage your washing machine?

Just as it does in a dishwasher, vinegar can harm rubber parts inside a washing machine, which will eventually lead to leaks. Though laundering your clothes with vinegar is a cost-effective, natural way to soften and deodorize fabrics, avoid using it in your washer too frequently.

Is vinegar or baking soda better for laundry?

Baking soda in the laundry can be a great addition for a natural fabric softener or controlling excess suds, while vinegar in laundry can be an amazing agent for getting those whites extra sparkling and banishing mildew odor. They help even the best laundry detergents to be more effective.

Can you use vinegar and laundry detergent together?

You can't mix laundry detergent and vinegar when washing clothes. A mixture of both substances will result in a neutral solution that may impede washing because most detergents are alkaline, whereas vinegar is acidic. However, you can use both during a single wash, provided you use them separately.

Where do you put vinegar in washing machine?

For softening your clothes, add the vinegar to your fabric softener dispenser. To fight mild odors, add it directly to the washing machine basin during the rinse cycle, or use it in place of regular detergent and add it again during the rinse cycle if you need to remove really strong odors.

How do you make towels soft without fabric softener?

How to keep towels soft & plush without using detergent or fabric softener

  1. Don't overfill the washing machine drum. ...
  2. Add half a cup of baking soda directly to the wash. ...
  3. Add half a cup of white vinegar to your rinse cycle. ...
  4. Tumble dry your towels.

Will baking soda damage washing machine?

Baking soda acts as a natural brightener and deodorizer. If you have particularly smelly clothes, using a full cup of baking soda will not harm your washer. You'll get better results if you allow the clothes to soak in the baking soda and water for at least 30 minutes before completing the wash cycle.

Can you add baking soda and vinegar to laundry?

You can also mix vinegar and baking soda to clean and freshen your washing machine thoroughly. Set it on the hot water cycle at the largest load setting, then add 4 cups of white vinegar. Run the machine for a minute, then add ½ cup of baking soda.

Can you mix baking soda and vinegar?

Here are some recipes to try. Freshen your sink by mixing one part of baking soda with two parts of vinegar. This mixture unlocks an effervescent fizz of carbon dioxide that cleans and freshen drains.

Why does my front loader make my towels hard?

One of the downsides of front loaders (and water-efficient top loaders) is that they can produce stiff, rough or scratchy towels. That's because the towels are generally tumbling through just a little water rather than floating through lots like in an older-style top loader.

Is bleach or vinegar better to clean washing machine?

You can clean a top loading or front loading machine with white vinegar or bleach. My preference is to use either white vinegar OR non-chlorinated bleach because they are safe, all-natural solutions, but some washing machine manufacturers recommend only using chlorinated bleach.

What can I use in place of fabric softener?

The Kitchen Concoction: Baking Soda & Vinegar

With a few items found in your kitchen pantry, you can mix up your own natural fabric softener. All you need is water, baking soda and vinegar, plus a few drops of essential oils if you'd like it scented. Stir until mixed and add in one-part vinegar (ex: one-half cup).

How do I make my towels soft again Reddit?

Here's what you do:

  1. Run the towels in the washing machine with hot water and one cup of vinegar. NO DETERGENT or FABRIC SOFTENER.
  2. Then run the towels again with hot water and a half a cup of baking soda. Again, NO DETERGENT or FABRIC SOFTENER.
  3. Pop them in the drier. ...
  4. Enjoy your fluffy, odor free, revitalized towels.

Should you use fabric softener on towels?

Liquid Fabric Softener. Like fabric softener, dryer sheets contain oils that can coat towel fibers and destroy their absorbency. So, don't use them when drying your towels.

How do you wash clothes with vinegar Reddit?

I add cheap no name brand vinegar to my laundry loads. It boosts cleaning power, makes the laundry smell better, and saves a ton in laundry soap. I buy in a huge container for like $3 and it lasts for months and months. I add it to the liquid bleach slot in the washer and it works amazing.